Beauty, Mercy, Justice

Outrage

I decided some time ago that I wasn’t going to spend a lot of time and mental energy on the Church’s problems, specifically those involving clergy, theologians, and others who reject the Church’s teachings but nevertheless remain in their positions. We all know the basic lay of the land at this point, many good things are happening in spite of these people, and their influence seems to be waning rather than growing. I haven’t wanted to spend more time than necessary in what Daniel once called the "ain’t-it-awful" branch of Catholicism.

But this advertisement that apparently just appeared in America is such an outrage that I find myself wondering why someone hasn’t been struck by lightning, and thinking that I should be saying prayers of reparation. I’m a pretty easygoing person who doesn’t usually think or react this way. The fact that the ad appeared is symptomatic of something catastrophically wrong. I find it hard to imagine that there will not be serious fallout from this. Even as I write I find myself thinking that there must be some explanation, some mistake, some oversight by which one malicious person did this without the editor’s knowledge. It’s that bizarre. It’s more than that–it’s wicked.

The image itself is no more than another typical stunt from the fantastically corrupt world of art. But how did it come to appear in America? Is it conceivable that any serious Catholic could see the image and not be appalled, would in fact propagate it? No, it is not conceivable.

—Maclin Horton

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6 Responses

I am puzzled by the fact that this appeared in America; it has always represented the stodgy end of the progressive spectrum. Cautious, liberal, and at least respectful of the Faith. This is very odd.
And what a racket: a 75 cent condom and a 10 dollar statue, and voila! a $300 price tag? Are the blasphemous really such suckers?

From what I’ve read — apologizes, no source for you — the condom wasn’t visible in the black and whites that the editors used to screen items prior to publication. Even in color, it is difficult to see. America is claiming that they have refunded the advertising dollars.

I am less skeptical than you are about the possibility that this was a screw-up by someone working too hastily in the advertising department. Seems entirely plausible, as this ad is out of character for ,i.America. I’m no fan but fair is fair…

Sure. As I said above, I don’t for a minute think the editors did it deliberately. But I don’t find a prank or provocation on the part of one underling entirely implausible. My wife does newspaper layout and production full-time, and when I read to her the official explanation, her first reaction was “yeah, right.”

Another plausible explanation is complete and utter cluelessness on that underling’s part.